My beloved in Christ,
This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday; the day we celebrate our Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem with the people singing “Hosanna to the Son of David”, only to change that chant, five days later, to “Crucify Him, Crucify Him. The First Reading has these words to say, “The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, that I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them” (Isaiah 50:4).
My friends, words have power—the power to build people up or to break people down, power to tear or to reconcile relationships, power to degrade and to confine people to their state in life or to inspire and lift them up, power to shape and cause emotions that create actions that shape the course of one’s destiny. Bottom-line, what we say to ourselves and others can make the difference between life and death.
Therefore, in your self-talk, speak to yourself like someone that you love. Let your words be positive, encouraging, motivating, uplifting, and capable of instilling belief in and hope within yourself. Remember that your words will become your world, for the “Word was made flesh and dwelt among us”. Always let your words elevate your altitude to the heights of greatness for your altitude will determine your attitude.
When it comes to others, choose your words carefully before you utter them, because your words, which may not mean much to you at the time you spoke them, could create a life-time negative memory in the mind and hearts of those who heard them. The words you have spoken can be forgiven, but they are rarely forgotten; and even when people forget your words, they seldom forget how you made them feel. Therefore, always leave someone you love with loving words because it may be the last time you see them. Never tell anyone that their dreams are stupid, foolish, or outlandish because nothing can be more humiliating than this, and it could even be tragic if they believe it. Do not mix your words with your moods because your moods can change but your words, once spoken, cannot be taken back.
My friends, let us make the effort to make sure that every word we speak be words that uplift, and never words that tear down! Let our words give others confidence in their abilities and the self-belief required to take risks, let our words lift others off the canvas if they have fallen, build them up by encouraging them, help them walk taller, and give them the capacity to do things that they couldn’t dream of by themselves. Words are powerful; let us use them to create and give life.
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